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CSI's business unit managers gathered around the downstairs conference room for the company's weekly meeting to discuss project bids. Cristina WaldAshley Hartman, who was in charge of finding projects for the engineering firm to work on, read through several she had identified while others in the room took notes. Since CSI's founding thirty-five years ago, the company had grown substantially. The growth so far had been fueled by the company's ability to diversify into other services in the construction and engineering space. CSI had a strong market and customer base in Uruguay but realized that in order to be successful it needed to expand internationally. One of the key objectives for CSI in 2016 was to build a clear plan for this expansion and design an organizational structure which could support its growth.

Francisco J. Riberas sat in his office reflecting on his first summer working at the family business, in 1989. Growing up, Francisco Riberas had learned about the company through conversations with his father, Francisco Riberas Pampliega, over the dinner table and in their business trips. From a young age his father had instilled in him and his brother the importance of hard work, compassion, and integrity and given him opportunities to gain exposure to all aspects of the business.

When organizations get into big trouble, fixing the culture is usually the prescription. That's what most everyone said GM needed to do after its recall crisis in 2014—and ever since, CEO Mary Barra has been focusing on creating "the right environment" to promote accountability and head off future disasters. The corporate leaders we have interviewed say that culture isn't something you "fix." Rather cultural change is what you get after you've put new processes or structures in place to tackle tough business challenges like reworking an outdated strategy or business model. The culture evolves as you do that important work.